Appalachian State beats Louisiana-Lafayette 27-17

BOONE, N.C. (AP) — Darrynton Evans ran for a career-best 183 yards and a touchdown to help Appalachian State get past Louisiana-Lafayette 27-17 on Saturday to maintain a perfect record in Sun Belt Conference play.

Appalachian State (5-1, 3-0) has won five straight since opening the season with a 45-38 loss to then-No. 10 Penn State. The Mountaineers will face Georgia Southern in a conference showdown on Thursday.

The Mountaineers took the lead for good, 17-10, when Zac Thomas passed to Evans from 20 yards out for the score with 2:11 left in the first half. Marcus Williams Jr. scored on a 6-yard run early in the third and Chandler Staton added a field goal to give Appalachian State a 27-10 lead with 2:46 remaining in the game.

Akeem Davis-Gaither had a career-best 15 tackles with two sacks. The Mountaineers entered the game having held the opposition scoreless in the second half in four straight games.

Trey Ragas ran for 81 yards and a score for ULL (3-4, 1-2) which had won two straight before falling to the Mountaineers.